Peaceful Warrior

Over 38 years of studying & analysing relevant aspects of human movement, conflict management…

Instructor of Slavic Systema
Sifu of Wing Chun Kung Fu
Karate Champion of Slovakia, 2002
Kick Boxing Champion of Slovakia, 2000
Professional Physio & Massage Therapist
The doorman with 18 years of practice
Co-creator of  Expanding Life
Pravilo instructor

Karate & Kickboxing

I’ve always been active- gymnastics, athletics, swimming, cycling, skiing, football, tennis, basketball, & many others.
When I was about 11 years old, I fell in love with Martial Arts (MA), and I found Goju Riu Karate and started training under master Ludovit Divinec.
I continued to train with many other Karate masters: Leo Lipinsky, Takeji Ogawa, Shuji Tasaki, Seiichi Fujiwara, Boris Horacek, Ladislav Klementis, Michal Slachtovsky, Rastislav Mraz, Jan Masek, Milos Smejkal.

I then started to train in kickboxing, classic Boxing and Thai boxing.
As part of the Slovakian National Kick-boxing Team, in 2000, I became the Slovakian Kick-boxing champion.
I was also selected for the Slovakian National Karate Team, and in 2002, I was the bare-knuckle Karate Champion.

Wing Chun Kung Fu

Then I found Ip Man – Leung Ting  Wing Tsun Kung Fu, and during my first contact with Sihing Marek Kircak, he showed me how hardness doesn’t work with liquid (internal systems).
I experienced that he was going through my defences like a knife through butter, and after the last 16 years of hard training, I couldn’t ignore this fact. As easily as water behaves when it encounters something hard, it flows around.
From that moment, I became a Sifu Richard Kapalko student and other masters in Wing Tsun: Dai-Sifu Oliver Konig & GM Prof. Keith R. Kernspecht.
In 2005 moved to the UK and continues to study Wing Tsun with the highly experienced Master Andrew Cameron (Founder of Wing Chun International).
I’ve been learning Wing Chun from other masters such as Sifu Victor Gutierrez,  Sifu Sergio, Sifu Chrisu and others.

Russian Systema

Then I started learning Russian Systema. This system teaches how to cope with stress, calm down, and deal with pain & shock. To be smooth & relaxed. I am proud to be a certified instructor by master Vladimir Vasiliev. I had the privilege of learning also from master Mikhail Rybko,
I am glad to have a chance to learn from Russian Systema Masters like Martin Wheeler, Alexandr Maksimtsov, Sonny Puzikas, Valentin Talanov, Alexander Kostic, Uldis Veismani, Val Riazanov & others.

My strategy is to learn with an open mind, learning skills from every source of MA. Aiming for permanent progress tomorrow, I want to be better than today.
To this end, I have developed Systema for real street situations & also for MMA.

Cossack’s tradition

Modern Systema comes from Cossack’s tradition,  where is saved old Slavic culture and philosophy. The root of Slavic culture (including fighting & dance) comes from Vedic culture. I am lucky that I could learn Cossack’s culture from masters such as Georgy Funtikov (Егор Гамаюн), Sergey Makarov, Vladimir Kurovskij and A.V. Černikov.

Other Martial arts

To experience different MA, I have also trained in Escrima (Master Bill Newman), Aikido, Taekwondo, BJJ, Judo, Ju Jitsu, and Wrestling, amongst others.

Chi Kung / Qigong

I am also studying Zhang Xin Dao – I Liq Chuan (Martial Arts of Awareness) from GM Sam Chin and Sifu Joshua Craig Sifu Alex Skalozub.

Real experience

I’ve developed a practical understanding of hand-to-hand combat and street-fighting situations as I have worked as a bouncer/doorman for over 15 years. I still work as a doorman from time to time to ensure my techniques have real-world applicability.

Massage & Physiotherapy

The desire to make my body more efficient means I am a regular on the massage couch as a patient. After years I took a course and became a professional massage therapist.

However, just a course didn’t make me a good massage therapist; I continue to learn and now have 15 years of practice and experience..

I love this job for freeing people from pain and tension.

It’s also allowed me to develop my feeling and helped me to understand the human body from different perspectives better.

The system is also based on modern progressive physiology developed by scientific methods.

Exploration of our movements brought me a few years ago to a Tom Myers book: Anatomy Trains. This book massively changed my perception of our movements. It helped me to see the whole human body much more holistically. Instead of separated muscles, I see the united body, with a myofascial network across the whole of it.

Therefore I attended a course, ‘Anatomy Trains in Motion’ by Tom Myer and Karin Gurtner.

For us, movers are important to understanding how the human body – tensegrity works in motion; how moving patterns affect your body and vice versa – how any unbalance of your body affects your movements.

The new perception of the body helped me to better understand body mechanics as a martial artist & a dancer. It’s also helping me diagnosticated the problems of my massage therapy patients.

Dance

I love Dancing! I grew up on Hip hop and Break-dance.
Since I tried Bruno Caverna’s Play-fight, I enjoy expressing myself at Contact Improvisation.
If there’s any chance, I love dancing in clubs. However, I am often just dancing at home… And, of course, I dance when I practice Martial Arts.
Every movement has done smoothly and with elegance, which we can call ‘dance’.

Pravilo

I am also a therapist/instructor at a Slavic tool called a ‘Pravilo’. Translated into English, it would mean ‘Corrector’ or ‘Adjuster’.
Pravilo holistically stretches all myofascial tracks across your body like nothing else!
Pravilo also strengthens us in unique ways…
The Pravilo pulls from every corner equally, so if you have an imbalance in your body, it will naturally balance your body.
Our bodies naturally shrink and crystalise. The Pravilo slow this process down or even reverses it. It expands you. It opens our bodies and increases the flow of Jang energy.

Veda – Uplifting Energy

I synergy many martial arts and knowledge; however it is not a mishmash, it is THE SYSTEM based on principles which could generally work in any MA. The principles will generate the right movements subconsciously. Therefore we are smooth & flowing like water.

I like to teach in a fun, playful way, and by practising warrior games in safe surroundings, students quickly gain invaluable personal experience and an increased feeling of vitality.